Recoil pads are well-known for absorbing the kick encountered upon discharging a shotgun, rifle or other shoulder-fired firearm. They attach to the rear or butt-ends of gun stocks and are usually designed to rest against a shooter's shoulder.
Different recoil pads offer varying degrees of recoil absorption. By varying the thickness of the recoil pad, that can vary length of pull, the distance between the shooter's shoulder and the trigger, and the sighting characteristics, for example, the distance between the shooter's eye and the firearm eyepiece.
Experienced shooters appreciate that the positioning of a firearm with respect to the hand and sighting eye will affect the accuracy and repeatability of shots fired. Selection of different degrees of shock absorption capability will affect comfort and the ability to control the firearm between discharges. The ability to quickly change recoil pads also allows multiple shooters with differing anatomical dimensions to experience optimal shooting conditions.
Typically, recoil pads are attached to gun stocks using two screws, requiring a screwdriver to remove them. An interchangeable recoil pad appearing in U.S. Pat. No. 1,331,074 to W. L. Marble, issued Feb. 17, 1920, required the insertion of an implement to effect the disconnection of the recoil pad from the stock of the gun.
It is a primary object of Applicants' invention to provide an easy-to-use apparatus for quickly connecting or disconnecting an interchangeable recoil pad without the use of tools or implements.
It is another general object to provide such an apparatus which is durable to use.